When will it start to feel like a "farm"? (Meet Phantom)

That's a silly question because this isn't a farm.  Although crops are growing on our land, we are not the ones growing them, maintaining them, or even caring about them.  We barely know they are there. 

So when does our adventure feel real?  Other than the fact that we now say "we'll have to take care of that the next time we're in town", living on the Edge doesn't feel that much different than living on Sumner (despite my first posts).  Well, today we may, and I emphasize may, have a game-changer. 

Meet Phantom:

Phantom is a 2 year old male alpaca.  What is an alpaca? Alpacas are smaller than a llama and sought after for their wool, which is considered to be high quality.  They are herd animals and can live up to 20 years.  They are generally friendly, and as you can see above, cohabitate well with other livestock.  Their precious wool is sheered once a year, in the spring time.  This male is for sale via craigslist, which is Amy's new playground.

A little background.  Amy has been talking about owning alpacas since I can remember.  When we bought this land she immediately decieded that chickens, horses and alpacas were in our future.  We both agreed that livestock was likely a "spring/summer of 2012 thing"...but craigslist is a temptress, it seems.

Back to today's exciting story: Amy contacts the craigslist poster.  We will call him Craig.  Craig tells us a little more about Phantom but then adds that alpacas are herd animals and die when they live alone.  But...he'd sell us a second male, around age 1.5, no name was shared with us.  I instantly think that it is too bad he didn't offer a female, breeding them would be pretty great!  So why not a female?

I am quickly learning that in the world of livestock, females are highly sought after.  Hens make eggs, she-cows produce milk, all females reproduce.  Every herd just needs one dominant male to keep the reproduction going.  Males are turned into beef, pork, and other meat more often than not.  Thus...

Females are expensive.  Craig explains to us that good breeding females sell for around $2000 if not more.  We're fine with males!  On Monday we are going to visit Phantom and ________.  We are weighing the pros and cons of owning alpacas and visiting could seal the deal.  I will be sure to take pictures and share them with you, our loyal Edgers (is it too soon to start making t-shirts?)  :)  And who knows, if we come home with them...

Maybe it will start to feel like a real "farm".

Top 5 Tuesday

Every Tuesday we will post a Top 5 list .  The content of these lists may or may not relate to the typical blog content.  The list won't necessarily adhere to the Top 5 in order of "best to worst".  We hope this will become a mainstay here on the blog and that people enjoy it!

Inaugural Top 5 List

What are the biggest changes between urban living and living on the Edge?

1. Distance.  This is an obvious difference.  Our old house at Sumner was located in the middle of Lincoln and we were no more than 5-10 minutes away from anything we wanted or needed.  Now the trip to get a simple gallon of milk can take a minimum of 30 minutes round trip.  You really have to condense trips, plan ahead and take care of as much as possible in one venture.  This also affects babysitting/babysitters.  Grandma and Grandpa are always willing to watch Ayla, but it takes 20-25 minutes to get there.  Grade the change: C.  We knew what we were getting into moving 9 miles outside of city limits, so there were no surprises, but that doesn't take away the fact that it sucks (for lack of a better term) at times.

2.  Quiet.  Again, this is obvious.  Living out here you can count on the fact that at night the loudest sound you will hear is the eerie sound of frogs in the distance and lots of birds.  Always birds.  Relating that to the noise of the busy street of Sumner (which many treated the 25 mph sign as a joke!)  it is much more peaceful here.  One of my favorite things to do is sit on the deck or patio and read a book, or blog, or blog about a book I am reading.  Grade the change: B+.  The only thing you miss is the constancy that others exist, but TV and internet remind you of that pretty quick.  Also, the absence of barking dogs in a crowded neighbor at all hours of the day and night are more than worth it.

3.  Mowing the lawn.  Our old house sat on a .16 acre plot of land and with my push mower I could finish mowing the entire lawn, front and back, in around 45 minutes.  Now I own a riding lawn mower (as highlighted in the Week 1-2 post) and it takes me almost 3 hours to mow my 2.26 acres of yard.  I will admit, the fun factor is increased when riding a lawn mower but the amount of time is a hindrance.  Again, something we knew about heading into this adventure, but still a headache.  Grade the change: B.  I don't mind a little more work for a nice lawn, but it is time consuming.

4.  Bubble Factor.  Living on the busyness of Sumner rendered our front yard useless for playtime.  As cars flew by, we were increasingly more cautious to let Ayla run around in the front yard, even with our strict supervision.  Too many cars, to much opportunity for poor circumstance.  The back yard was mud and weeds due to the dogs, my lack of caring for the lawn, and we purchased it while snow was on the ground....thus, she couldn't play back there so she was always inside.  Now she can burst that "bubble" and play a little further away from us and we are essentially positive that she is safe.  The stress is almost non-existent and it is a nice feeling.  Grade the change: A.  I much prefer all the space and running around safely that she can now enjoy to the constrained bubble we used to have to live in.

The Barn.  Built 1889.

5.  Barn.  We didn't have a barn before and we have one now.  I think that is a pretty significant change!  Grade of Change: I don't think this can be graded.  Let me know what you think :).

Strange Fruit

Strange Fruit, a famous Billie Holiday song that is widely known as one of the first anti-racism songs in American history...has nothing to do with this post.

Today was a great day here at the Edge.  It started out with a trip to the Haymarket in Lincoln where we went to the weekly farmer's market.  Several weeks ago one of favorite vendors informed us that he would have raspberry bushes.  Heck yea!  I love raspberries and at our old house it was the most invasive and productive produce we had.  We went with plans of buying several bushes, maybe five or six if we were the mood.  But then something happened...

We were given some choices, and they changed everything!  The vendor had some samples of a fruit we had never heard of, apparently they grow in Northwest Nebraska all the way up to Canada.  These were serviceberries.  They remind one of the texture of a blueberry but with a much sweeter taste.  It was too hard to pass up and we purchased it for the garden.  Two weeks ago, Amy purchased a different strange fruit from this vendor: an Elderberry bush.  We didn't have any sample at that time, we were simply intrigued by the uniqueness of this bush.  Both bushes can be used for jams, jellies or pies.  Since Amy and I don't bake, I see jams in our future.

Out in our yard there is a mulberry tree.  It is starting to drop bucket loads of fruit and Amy picked a bunch today.  I have great memories of my parents making mulberry pancakes for my brothers and I so it is very exciting (and tedious) to already have this tree on our property.  In our front bed, we just planted Junebearing Strawberries.  I forgot about those!

So to recap we now have five different berries growing at the Edge: Elderberries, Mulberries, Raspberries, Serviceberries and Strawberries!

Elderberries

Serviceberries (also known as Saskatoons

Mulberries

This is where the more whimsical writer would conclude using something from Billie Holidays lyrics to "Strange Fruit".  If you look up those lyrics, they do not apply.  At all.  Thus, no clever ending :).

Week 1-2

I started this blog with the intention of writing daily. That did not end up happening so I will have to catch you up the past two weeks of time (as you can see, it is May 17 and I will be posting about events taking place from May 1 to now).

We agreed that the summer priorities would not be the inside of the house but rather the outside. During the winter, when we are cooped up inside, we will strengthen and beautify our home. Right now, the house remains cluttered, but somethings are coming together. The kitchen, for instance, is fully running with appliances, water and electricity (none of which was cheap, the only saving grace was the sales tax out of city limits is 1.5% less than in city).

We also have TV and internet, which we typically fall asleep in front of because we are so tired. It is nice to have the amenities, but sometimes it feels like we don't need them. At Sumner (the street our past house was on in Lincoln), we needed them. Weird, huh?

Outside, however, is starting to take shape. First off, I bought a riding lawnmower. A lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of fun. Here is a picture of my new baby, and now that I have mowed the lawn with her, I know this is going to be a great relationship.

Using a tiller we co-rented with our neighbors (who are great, by the way) we carved up some earth and are installing a herb garden...well, Amy is doing the majority of the work, but I am still sore from using the tiller--what a work out. Other projects include some gardening (again by Amy). I am waiting for the school year to end (May 27 can't get here soon enough) so I can start some of my own projects.

Thanks for reading, more soon!

Day Two

April 30, 2011
Did that really just happen? I’ll open my eyes and I’ll be back at Sumner. Oh, apparently not. 7:15am, that’s not a typo, Ayla wakes up to a nice cough and we go to her aid. My mother came in from Lincoln and brought us breakfast. Our kitchen didn’t come with appliances, which is a great thing because we go to pick out brand new shiny ones. The problem, however, is that we had zero food in the house for breakfast.

After a nice start to the day (thanks Mom!), we started to unload boxes. Before we know it, the appliance guys are going to be early. They deliver our new fridge, dishwasher, and range. We are spoiled and thrilled. Sumner had decent appliances, but they were not new and certainly not ‘pretty’. It also lacked a dishwasher. Amy invoked a “Whoever cooks, doesn’t do the dishes” rule early on in our marriage. Needless to say, I have done dishes the better part of the last four years. A dishwasher is most welcome.

Family comes and we unload our second moving truck. We are starting to see how little we had at Sumner. The Sumner house had 1090 square feet and we loaded it to the brim, we couldn’t wait to get out and have more space. Our new home has 2216 square feet, more than double. We are realizing that we don’t have a lot of stuff at all.

The house, although littered with boxes still, is starting to take shape. The kitchen received some much needed organization and both bedrooms are beginning to look like people live in them. The dining room has zero clutter in it. On the other hand, the living room and office are where we see the piles of boxes. The priorities are clear!

The day ends with a great meal with family and a sense of accomplishment. Everything is now inside, things just need to be put in their final spot. We are happy and loved and enjoying our quiet chunk of America.

Move-in Day

April 29, 2011

We’re home. It sounds strange. How did this happen? For months we have been preparing for this move, and now that it is here there are a whirlwind of emotions. Leaving our old house was hard. It was our first home as a family, it was where we went home after we were married, it was where we brought our little girl home from the hospital, it was where we learned who we were. Upon leaving the Sumner house, I couldn’t get over the fact that I was leaving the place where I read books to my little girl. I will never forget those amazing memories and will cherish them forever.

It was also hard because unlike most people who sell their first homes and move to nice suburban cul-de-sacs, we are moving to the edge of Lancaster County. Our new house sits on a 5.61 acre plot and was built in 1903. It has great old bones which has allowed it to exist for over one hundred years, all by one family. It is an awe-inspiring thing to know that in a 108 year family history, a certain lineage just came to a crashing halt on one day.

Moving is always a crazy day and this one had some moments. First off, the wind gusts were over 35 mph, making it difficult to move anything from truck to house. I don’t know how we didn’t lose anything, at times it seemed like anything could blow away (including ourselves). We were lucky that Amy’s parents came up from Kansas to help watch our daughter and help with the various behind the scenes aspects of moving. If they hadn’t come up I don’t know how we would have made it through.

I personally had a difficult time. Selling the Sumner house was hard for me, as you can read above, but it didn’t really hit until around 2pm. The mover’s were scheduled to come out at 3pm and everyone else stayed in Lincoln to take care of this-n-that, which left me at the house completely isolated and alone. I went through about every emotion one could name and at one point I didn’t know if I could pull out of it. Luckily, by three everyone was here again. The presence of others, and the sight of my beautiful daughter pulled my spirits up and reminded me that we can do this. We’ll just need help, a lot of help.

The day ended with one truck completely unloaded and our second truck still full. We were nausea from the wind, were developing a nice sunburn and were exhausted. I was pleasantly surprised to see how light it is out here, there are dusk lights abound and plenty of “neighbors” shining lights into the night sky. Instead of falling asleep to my usual cars-rolling-by-on-asphalt or dogs-barking-all-over-the-neighborhood sounds, I slept peacefully to the sound of…nothing. ~Rob